# Erik Janža

Erik Janža (born 21 June 1993) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze, which he captains, and the Slovenia national team.

## Club career

Janža started his senior career with Mura 05 in 2010. With Mura 05, he reached the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, where the club were eliminated by Lazio. In January 2013, he joined Domžale, followed by Maribor in January 2015, with whom he won both the Slovenian League and Slovenian Cup titles.
In January 2017, Janža moved abroad to join Czech side Viktoria Plzeň, and was subsequently loaned out to Cypriot club Pafos. In July 2018, he transferred to Croatian side Osijek.
On 28 June 2019, he signed a two-year contract with Polish Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze. On 21 November 2021, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 win over Legia Warszawa. He became the club's captain ahead of the 2022–23 season. On 15 June 2024, Janža extended his contract with Górnik Zabrze until 2026.

## International career

Janža represented Slovenia at youth international levels from under-16 to under-21.
He made his debut for the senior national team on 18 November 2014, in a 1–0 friendly defeat against Colombia. On 14 October 2023, he scored his first international goal in a 3–0 victory over Finland during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying.
On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. In the opening match, Janža scored the equalizer in a 1–1 draw against Denmark, which was Slovenia's first goal at the European Championship since their last participation 24 years ago.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of 6 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Mura 05 | 2010–11 | Slovenian Second League | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 |
| Mura 05 | 2011–12 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 |
| Mura 05 | 2012–13 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Mura 05 | Total | Total | 76 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 86 | 1 |
| Domžale | 2012–13 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 |
| Domžale | 2013–14 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 35 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 4 |
| Domžale | 2014–15 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 |
| Domžale | Total | Total | 66 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 72 | 4 |
| Maribor | 2014–15 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 |
| Maribor | 2015–16 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Maribor | 2016–17 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Maribor | Total | Total | 33 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| Viktoria Plzeň | 2016–17 | Czech First League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| Pafos (loan) | 2017–18 | Cypriot First Division | 33 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 38 | 3 |
| Osijek | 2018–19 | Croatian First League | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Górnik Zabrze | 2019–20 | Ekstraklasa | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 |
| Górnik Zabrze | 2020–21 | Ekstraklasa | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 |
| Górnik Zabrze | 2021–22 | Ekstraklasa | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 1 |
| Górnik Zabrze | 2022–23 | Ekstraklasa | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 2 |
| Górnik Zabrze | 2023–24 | Ekstraklasa | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 |
| Górnik Zabrze | 2024–25 | Ekstraklasa | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 |
| Górnik Zabrze | Total | Total | 168 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 177 | 3 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 398 | 10 | 29 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 443 | 11 |
* ↑ Includes Slovenian Cup, Cypriot Cup, Croatian Cup, Polish Cup
* 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Europa League

### International

    As of match played 17 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Slovenia |
| Slovenia | 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| Slovenia | 2023 | 6 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 2024 | 12 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 19 | 3 |
    Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Janža goal.
List of international goals scored by Erik Janža :
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 14 October 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 4 | Finland | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 2 | 17 November 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 6 | Denmark | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 3 | 16 June 2024 | MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany | 11 | Denmark | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 |

## Honours

Maribor
* Slovenian PrvaLiga: 2014–15
* Slovenian Cup: 2015–16